The vestibular system is a sensory motor system concerned with the sensation of linear or angular acceleration, eliciting several vestibular postural reflexes. This study was designed to figure out the functional relationship in vestibulocollic reflex. The electromyographic responses of the cervical muscles were observed during stimulation of the horizontal semicircular canal nerves. The sternomastoid muscle was inhibited by stimulation of the ipsilateral horizontal canal nerve and excited by stimulation of the contralateral horizontal canal nerve. The splenius capitis muscle was inhibited by stimulation of the ipsilateral horizontal canal nerve and excited by stimulation of the contralateral canal nerve. The semispinalis capitis revealed same pattern responses as splenius capitis or sternomastoid muscles to stimulation of the horizontal canal nerve. These experimental results indicate that the cervical extensor or flexor muscles respond in a uniform fashion to the stimulated horizontal canal nerve. And taken these results and other morphological study results together, the excitatory neural pathways from the vestibular nucleus in brain stem to cervical motoneurons are crossed to the opposite side but the inhibitory pathways from the nucleus to the cervical motoneurons are uncrossed.
Acceleration ; Animals ; Brain Stem ; Cats* ; Muscles ; Neck Muscles* ; Neck* ; Neural Pathways ; Paraspinal Muscles ; Reflex ; Semicircular Canals* ; Sensation

No abstract available.

This study was undertaken to investigate to compare the ratio of positive reactions to benzoic acid(BA), sorbic acid(SA) and cinnamic acid(CA) which are well known materials producing non-immunologic contact urticaria. Various concentrations(0.l% to 5%) and different vehicles(petrolatum, water, hydrophilic ointment base) were used in open and 20 minutes closed test using Finn chamber on Scanpor tape. One hundred total subjects were consisted of nonallergic patients and normal persons. The results were as follows ; 1. Total numbers of positive reactions were 69 in closed test(CT) and 60 in open test(OT), regardless of the materials and vehicles. 2. Total riumbers of positive reactions in BA, SA and CA were 68, 31, 35 in CT and 59, 20, 14 in OT respectably. 3. CT showed much more positive reactions than OT with all materials tested except 0.l% SA in water. 4. Hydrophilic ointment base showed a better reactivity than any other vehicles in CT. But in OT, petrolatum, water, hydrophilic ointment base showed better reactivity in BA, SA, CA respectably. 5. Almost all the reactions appeared within 45 minutes and disappeared within 3 hours. Erythema preceded edema and persisted 30 minutes to 1 hour after dissappearance of edema. 6 Itching, burning and tingling sensation were the only symptoms observed except. localized erythema and edema.
Benzoic Acid ; Burns ; Edema ; Erythema ; Humans ; Petrolatum ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Sorbic Acid ; Urticaria* ; Water

OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) not only causes respiratory disturbances during sleep but also decreases the quality of nocturnal sleep through sleep fragmentation and sleep structure change. We aimed at comparing the changes in sleep fragmentation and structure between baseline (diagnostic) nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) and nCPAP (nasal continuous positive airway pressure) titration trial. METHODS: One hundred and three patients with a baseline night of respiratory disturbance index (RDI) of 5 or greater and reduced RDI score during nCPAP titration night were retrospectively selected for the study. Sleep fragementation and sleep structure between baseline NPSG and the NPSG during nCPAP titration were compared. Sleep fragmentation index (SFI) was defined as the total number of awakenings and shifts to stage 1 sleep divided by the total sleep time in hour. SFI and other polysomnographic parameters were statistically compared between the two nights. RESULTS: SFI during baseline NPSG and nCPAP titration nights were 29.0+/-13.8 and 15.2+/-8.8, respectively, indicating a significant SFI decrease during nCPAP titration (t=9.7, p<0.01). SFI showed significant negative correlations with sleep efficiency (r=-0.60, p<0.01) and total sleep time (r=-0.45, p<0.01) and a positive correlation with RDI (r=0.28, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Use of nCPAP, even during the titration, significantly decreases sleep fragmentation and improves sleep structure in OSAS patients. We suggest that SFI may be utilized as a measure of assessing OSAS severity and nCPAP efficacy.
Humans ; Polysomnography ; Retrospective Studies ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Sleep Deprivation

The reciprocal interaction between sleep and pain has been reported by numerous studies. Patients with acute or chronic pain often complain of difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, shorter sleep duration, unrefreshing sleep, and poor sleep quality in general. According to the majority of the experimental human studies, sleep deprivation may produce hyperalgesic changes. The selective disruption of slow wave sleep has shown this effect more consistently, while results after selective REM sleep deprivation remain unclear. Patients with chronic pain have a marked alteration of sleep structure and continuity, such as frequent sleep-stage shifts, increased nocturnal awakenings, decreased slow wave sleep (SWS), decreased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and alpha-delta sleep. Many analgesic medications can alter sleep architecture in a manner similar to the effects of acute and chronic pain, suppressing SWS and REM sleep.
Chronic Pain ; Humans ; Sleep Deprivation ; Sleep, REM

Abscence of right superior vena cava(SVC) in visceroatrial situs solitus is a rare(0.07% to 0.13%) congenital cardiovascular malformation, and little is known about the type and frequency of additional heart defects and arrhythmias. We reviewed previous publications and report the case of 8 month old male infant with absent right superior vena cava and persistent left superior vena cava and large secundum atrial septal defect, mild pulmonary valvular stenosis.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Heart ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial* ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Vena Cava, Superior*

No abstract available.
Automatic Data Processing*

A 42-year-old woman presented with ichthyosiform eruptions on her trunk and buttock which developed 20 days prior to consulatation. She had taken the cholesterol-lowering drug(lovastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitor) for 4 months. After stopping the drug, the skin lesions gradually improved and after two months most of the lesions had disappeared. After 3 months of follow up the skin lesions could not be seen any more. Acquired ichthyosis in our patient could be an untoward effect of HMG CoA reductase inhibitor by disturbing the skin lipid metabolism.
Adult ; Buttocks ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases ; Ichthyosis* ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lovastatin ; Oxidoreductases ; Skin

OBJECTIVES: Type D personality was originally introduced to study the role of personality in predicting outcomes of heart disease. However, researches showed that other medical conditions are also affected by this personality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between type D personality and somatic symptom complaints in depressive patients. METHODS: Eighty-two individuals diagnosed with depressive disorder were included. Type D personality was measured with DS14. Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ) 9 and 15 were used to measure depression severity and somatization tendencies. For alexithymia, TAS-20 was used. Student T-test and linear regression analysis were performed. The best regression model was determined by stepwise variable selection. RESULTS: More than half of the subjects(56%) complained at least medium degree somatic symptoms according to PHQ-15 criteria. Two-thirds of the subjects were classified as Type D personality(63.4%). The mean PHQ-15 score of the Type D individuals was significantly higher than the remaining subjects(PHQ-15 mean=12.7, p=8.2x10-7). The best regression model included age, PHQ-9 score and NA subscale score as predictor variables. Among these, only the coefficients of age(p=1.5x10(-3)) and NA score(p=1.5x10(-7)) were found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The result showed that Type D personality was one of the strong predictors of somatic complaints among depressive individuals. The finding that negative affectivity rather than social inhibition was more closely associated with somatization tendencies does not fully agree with the traditional explanation that inability to express negative emotion predispose the individuals to somatic symptoms. The finding that alexithymia was not shown to be a significant predictors also substantiated this discrepancy. However, it might be possible that the high correlation between NA and SI subscore(r=0.65) and between NA and TAS-20 score(r=0.44) hid the additional effects of social inhibition and alexithymia. Further research with a larger sample would be needed to investigate the effects of the latter two components over and above the effect of negative affectivity on the somatic complaints in depressive patients.
Affective Symptoms ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Linear Models

No abstract available.
Phenobarbital*